


Birthday Bash

by bonespell



Series: Trophy Boy [2]
Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Warriors
Genre: Hugs, It's Warriors' Birthday!!!, legend and warriors are Bros, the links commit arson, this is so much kinder than trophy boy i promise, warriors gets arson for his birthday, warriors gets revenge for the trauma of trophy boy, warriors gets wholesome friendships for his birthday as well
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-15
Updated: 2020-08-15
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:27:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,072
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25906564
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bonespell/pseuds/bonespell
Summary: “So,” Legend says, and pauses for seemingly dramatic effect. “What if we burn down the Valley of Souls.”“Incredible,” Wild says immediately. “Let me go get my meteor rod, and-”Twilight, with a look of long suffering, clamps his hand over Wild’s mouth. Wild glares. They all know licking Twilight’s hand doesn’t work. They’ve all tried it at some point.“Honestly,” Four says. “I think Legend’s onto something here.”
Relationships: Legend & Warriors (Linked Universe)
Series: Trophy Boy [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1880128
Comments: 20
Kudos: 207





	Birthday Bash

**Author's Note:**

> it's his birthday y'all. it's warriors' birthday and i went into this with no plan and streamed writing the whole thing. enjoy it i promise i'm nicer to him this time around. yes this is a sequel to trophy boy. no i did not plan it. yes i thoroughly enjoyed it.

The next jump lands them in Warriors’ Hyrule.

Warriors pretends not to notice Legend scoot closer to him as they walk, shoulders tensed. Warriors is tense here. Last time they were here, well… he can still barely sleep.

This time, however, he’s with the group. He casually shoves Legend with his shoulder, who huffs and shoves back. He had received a letter from Zelda saying Cia was in custody, that she was locked away. That he was safe to come back. He’s safe here now, in his home.

Even if he doesn’t feel like it.

The castle comes into view, and he hears the click of her boots on the stone of the Castletown streets. Warriors opens his arms, and Zelda slams into him. He spins them on impact with a laugh. He hears the others laugh when he nearly loses his footing on a loose cobblestone.

“It’s so good to see you safe,” Zelda says, tucking her chin over his shoulder as he places her back on her feet. Impa has caught up, but she just smiles. Warriors holds out a hand for her to shake. Impa’s not a hugger. He knows that. He also knows that if he tries, she’ll break his shins.

“I’m so glad to be back,” Warriors replies to Zelda as she greets the others.

  
  
  
  
  
  


Warriors pulls his armour off with a sigh as he sits in Zelda’s sitting room. He relaxes back, putting his feet up on the table. He barely lasts a second before Zelda smacks his ankles, and he laughs. Legend snorts beside him.

Legend hasn’t left his side since they’d arrived, and while Warriors knows why - he can’t exactly _forget_ \- surely Legend knows that he’s safe. He’d read the letter aloud when he’d gotten it. Warriors puts an arm along the back of the couch behind Legend, messing with his hair.

In some kind of panic-response, Legend slides right off the couch and onto the ground. Warriors absolutely _cackles_ when he sees his expression, which is more bewildered than Warriors has ever seen him.

Twilight, who’d just entered the room, a towel around his neck, hair still wet, laughs. Legend flips him off and slams his elbow into Warriors’ leg, who kicks him in retaliation. It’s Legend’s turn to clean up, anyways. He gets up, arms crossed, and stalks into the bathroom. Twilight sits next to Warriors.

“He’s still clinging to you?” Twilight asks after a moment of comfortable silence.

“I can’t blame him,” Warriors concedes, nodding his head. “If it had happened to him, I’d probably be doing the same thing. But he knows I’m safe. So I don’t get it.”

“I get it,” Twilight says softly, staring at something that’s not there. He’s faraway. Warriors leaves it be. Twilight won’t explain anyways. He’s tried.

  
  
  
  
  
  


They’re all at Zelda’s massive dining table, laughing and teasing and joking and telling stories. Zelda tells tales of the cleanup after the war, and Time comfortably teases her. Warriors gets it, but can still see how confused the others are. Oh well. That’s Time’s tale to tell.

Warriors jumps in with a story of a noble fight at sea, on Tetra’s ship, but Wind betrays him ultimately by including the part where he nearly went overboard because he stepped on a rope.

Warriors drapes his scarf over Wind’s head to shut him up, and that warrants a round of laughter from the table. They go quiet for a little while after that, just comfortably enjoying their dinner and the company and the feeling, for the Links, of finally being clean and comfortable after weeks on the road.

“Link, what would you like to do for your birthday? Isn’t it rather soon?” Zelda asks offhandedly, and Warriors freezes. He wasn’t going to mention his upcoming birthday - it wasn’t the time, nor the place, and the Links didn’t have the means for celebration always.

“Something you haven’t been telling us, Captain?” Sky asks gently, teasingly. Warriors sighs, putting his head in his hands.

“Wars, you can’t just not tell us! It’s your _birthday_!” Wind protests, and Warriors huffs a laugh, ruffling his hair.

“Birthdays don’t matter so much when you’re old, kiddo,” He says, and Time interjects with an indignant sound.

“You’re not old,” Legend says. “Maybe not young and spry anymore, and you were never beautiful, but…”

“Hey!” Warriors cries, overdramatic and joking. “Take that back!”

“Sorry, I’m not a good liar,” Legend shrugs, but he wears a shit-eating grin.

Warriors launches a spoonful of mashed potatoes at him, and Legend shrieks in surprise when it hits him in the face. The table roars with laughter. He sees Wild fall out of his chair, gasping for breath in between his laughs. Warriors can feel tears coming to his eyes, and he relaxes back, closing his eyes, and then-

Warriors’ eyes snap open when a plate of spaghetti dumps itself over his head. His eyes narrow. 

“Oh, it’s _on_.”

  
  
  
  
  
  


Warriors shoots up in his bed that night, choking back a sob. He wipes at his eyes, and curls his sleeves over his knuckles. He slides out of bed in his undershirt and pants, wrapping his scarf around his neck and stepping over Four, who’s sprawled out by the door.

He sees movement out of the corner of his eye, but when he turns, there’s nothing there. The hall of portraits has always creeped him out anyways, but Zelda insists that her ancestors deserve respect. His room is the next best in the castle, anyhow. There’s no sense in complaining.

He makes his way down to the dungeons silently, guiltily stopping for a moment when he passes by the entrance to Zelda’s sitting room. He knows, beyond there, she’s asleep, and doesn’t have the faintest clue what he’s about to do.

Warriors wipes at his eyes again, hot tears threatening to spill over. He doesn’t have time for that.

He walks along the cellblock, the stone cold against his bare feet. He wishes he’d brought shoes, but he’s too far to stop now. He turns towards the high-security block, and while the guards who are on shift look at him confusedly, they don’t try to stop him.

He arrives.

She looks very different, he thinks. Her hair has grown, and her makeup is gone. She’s out of her costume, and instead in a prison outfit. She’s not asleep - He didn’t think she would be. He clears his throat, and she whips around, a twisted smile spreading across her face.

“My love,” She says softly, reaching out to stroke his cheek. When she makes contact, he flinches violently. It’s completely unintentional, and he fills with shame.

“Don’t call me that,” He grounds out, jaw clenching as he steps out of her way.

“Link, how could you let them lock me in this cage?” She asks, voice breaking. Stripped of her power and her armies, she’s pitiful. Warriors only feels fear when he looks at her regardless.

“You deserve to be where you are,” He says, blinking quickly to fight away any tears in his eyes. Cia catches on anyways.

“Darling, just let me out of this cage, let me out of these chains. We can build a life somewhere. I love you. I’m good to you. I-”

“Shut up,” Warriors growls, and when she keeps babbling, he yells.

“You were horrible to me!” He shouts, clenching his fists. “You hurt me and used me and paraded me around like a trophy! I’m not yours, not your love or your darling, and I-”

His voice stops right there, letting out and betraying his trust. He’s shaking, and he knows it’s visible. He knows Cia can see.

“I’ll let Zelda decide what to do with you. One thing I know, Cia, is that you’ll never see me again. I just needed to be sure you were truly harmless. Seems to me you are.”

“Link, wait-” She says, but Warriors turns out of the hallway to her block, and leans against the wall, breathing heavily.

“You couldn’t have at least waited?” Comes a voice from behind him, and Warriors whips around to watch Legend pull himself out of a portrait. He lands gently on his feet, crossing his arms and walking up to Warriors with a stern look.

Warriors falls forward with an involuntary sob. His whole body is on autopilot. His legs give out, and he wraps his arms around Legend’s shoulders, pressing his face into the fabric of Legend’s undershirt. 

Legend buckles under the weight, unable to hold them both up with so little warning, and sinks down to his knees. Warriors would be laying down if not for his grip on Legend’s shoulders, and he feels arms wrap around his back almost cautiously.

Another sob escapes his throat, and the arms tighten. He feels Legend press his face into his hair, shielding him from the rest of the outside world and from the psychopath just down the hall. His fingers curl tighter into Legend’s undershirt, and suddenly he can’t stop the flow of tears.

  
  
  
  
  


They sit on the cold stone for a while before Warriors is ready to get up. Legend is uncharacteristically patient and reassuring, whispering something or other into his hair. Warriors can’t hear it, but he’s grateful nonetheless.

Legend eventually coaxes Warriors to his feet, and takes his arm to lead him out of the dungeon. He lets Legend take him to the kitchens, and sit him down on a crate. Warriors watches, despondent, as Legend presses a cup of some drink into his hand. It’s warm, and it smells good.

Legend continues going through cabinets, seemingly looking for something. As opposed to earlier, this silence is heavy. This silence will bring questions.

“What were you doing?” Legend finally says. His voice is quiet. Nervous. Warriors feels a wave of guilt wash over him.

“I had to make sure,” He murmurs into his drink, and Legend sighs. Warriors can’t tell if it’s a sigh of relief or of disappointment. It sounds like a hybrid between the two. 

“You couldn’t have asked Zelda, or Impa? I haven’t seen Lana yet, but I’m sure she’d answer if you asked.”

“Lana’s out on official business, and Zelda would have asked too many questions. I don’t have the answers,” Warriors says, putting his drink down and his head in his hands. “Impa would have forbid it.”

“Then ask one of us to go with you, captain,” Legend sighs exasperatedly, sitting next to him. “You’re not alone. I would have gone in a heartbeat if you’d asked, and I’m sure any of the others would as well.”

“You came anyways.”

“Yeah, well, someone has to be the brains of this operation.”

Warriors laughs wetly from behind his hands. “You sure that’s you?”

“It’s definitely not you.”

Instead of gracing that with a reply, Warriors mutters, “Okay, brains,” and wraps his arms around Legend once more.

“Hey, hold on,” Legend says, squirming. “Hold on. We had a feeling moment. One is good.”

“Two is better,” Warriors replies, voice muffled. He lets Legend shift until he’s comfortable, and they sit in the kitchen for a while longer.

  
  
  
  
  
  


“Zelda, no,” Warriors protests. “Come on. I’m not big on celebrations, we don’t need all this-”

“Zip it,” Zelda says simply, checking off things on a sheet. “We are getting you the biggest cake I can have made in three days, and we are going to celebrate with all of your friends.”

“How dare you,” He deadpans, laying his head back against the armrest of his throne from where he’s sat on the floor and staring up at her. She flicks his forehead, and he shrieks. They both begin to devolve into laughter.

  
  
  
  
  
  


“Sit _still_ ,” Warriors grunts, hairtie between his teeth as he does his valiant best to brush out Wild’s hair. There is a formal celebration, since he is the hero, but it isn’t long, and the cake is saved for his friends. For after.

“I don’t see the point,” Wild whines, fiddling with the suit Twilight wrestled him into earlier. “Nobody’s gonna wanna look at me. Have you seen my face? Horrorshow.”

“Oh, hush,” Warriors scolds. “Your face is fine, and your hair will be too, once I get this knot out. Let me brush it every once in a while from now on. This physically pains me.”

“Pains _you_?” Wild scoffs. “I’m the one getting my scalp removed here.”

Warriors gently smacks him with the brush.

  
  
  
  
  
  


“Link!” He hears from where he’s getting a plate for Wind, and he turns, expecting another old noble. Instead, he grins.

“Lana!” He says, wrapping his arms around her waist and spinning her. She shrieks in surprise, and they get a few weird looks. Warriors is too happy to see her to care.

“I’m so glad you’re alright!” Lana smiles at him. Warriors lets Four take the plate from him to Wind. He extends an offering hand to Lana, and she takes it as the band starts the next song.

They dance across the floor gracefully as Lana catches him up on everything while she’s been gone. She’s been employed as an ambassador, apparently, sent across the nation and even into different timelines to clean things up after the whole debacle.

Warriors is glad she’s found her place in Hyrule. She deserves it.

“So, what have you been up to?” She asks, and Warriors launches into the plethora of stories he has.

  
  
  
  
  
  


When the party is over, much later, and only the Links and Lana are left, Legend pulls a map out of nowhere.

Warriors raises an eyebrow, propping up Wind, who’s falling asleep against him. Legend gives him a look that says _let me explain_. 

“So,” Legend says, and pauses for seemingly dramatic effect. “What if we burn down the Valley of Souls.”

“Incredible,” Wild says immediately. “Let me go get my meteor rod, and-”

Twilight, with a look of long suffering, clamps his hand over Wild’s mouth. Wild glares. They all know licking Twilight’s hand doesn’t work. They’ve all tried it at some point.

“Honestly,” Four says. “I think Legend’s onto something here.”

“Set that bitch sorceress on fire,” Wind murmurs sleepily, and everyone starts laughing. That’s how Time and Zelda find them when they return.

Time spots the map and immediately asks, “If I let you all do whatever this plan is, will anyone wind up in a coma?”

“One time,” Hyrule protests, and Sky messes with his hair fondly.

“We’re gonna burn down the Valley of Souls,” Legend says. “Want in, old man?”

Twilight looks at time pleadingly, but Warriors already knows what Time is going to say.

“Count me in,” Time grins, and Zelda sighs like a frustrated older sister. Warriors gets the feeling entirely. After all, for them, it hasn’t been that long.

  
  
  
  
  
  


Lana and Zelda, who both borrowed trousers from Warriors’ drawers, are the first two to regain their footing after Lana transports the group there. Time is next, and carrying a large crate of fuses. Twilight has one as well. They set them down on the ground, and Warriors pulls out the fire rod Legend lent to him. Legend has since been home and grabbed another fire magic object, so they’re okay.

Warriors stares for a moment, but feels Legend reassuringly take his place at Warriors’ side. They look straight at the temple, and Warriors fires the first blast.

It devolves into complete chaos after that. Wild has climbed the towers and is shooting fire from a vantage point, and Warriors could swear he saw Four’s shadow move on it’s own. Time is shooting fire from his _hands_.

Warriors boosts Zelda up on his shoulders so they can reach one of the portraits in the creepy room. They pull them off the wall, and Wind comes through and burns them. Zelda hops down herself, and They all reunite in the main room, where Sky and Hyrule and Wild are setting up a massive explosive with caution.

Legend stands in front of the giant portrait in the main room, Wild’s fire rod in hand. Warriors puts together pretty quickly that it’ll be the fuse that sets the bomb off. It’s fitting, and Warriors is proud of the decision. 

“Everyone here!” Lana says, holding out her arms. She’s already linked elbows with Zelda, who’s linked arms with Time, who’s linked arms with Twilight.

“Wanna do the honors, Wars?” Legend asks, and when Warriors confirms, Legend takes his place on the end of the chain, holding out a hand. The plan is for Lana to teleport everyone out, and her magic is already lighting her up from the inside out in preparation. Warriors pulls out Legend’s fire rod, and Legend holds out his arm in preparation.

Warriors lights the fire, watches the portrait begin to go up, and then sprints for the chain. It’s going up really fast, and he suddenly thinks maybe this was a bad idea, and-

Legend grabs his hand and yells something Warriors doesn’t catch. They all land outside the valley, where they left the horses. Lana must not have been worrying about precision - which Warriors doesn’t blame her for - so they all fall a few feet and far away from eachother.

Legend and Warriors are the exception, because Legend still has a tight grip on Warriors’ hand. He can’t really feel his fingers, but he’ll let Legend keep holding onto him. It’s fine.

“Hey,” Warriors says after a moment. “Thanks for the best birthday ever.”

“Yeah,” Legend responds, not letting go of his hand. “‘Course.”

  
  
  
  
  
  


They’ve gotten pretty good at feeling when the magic is going to whisk them away to another land, so Warriors makes sure to say goodbye to Zelda and Lana, and even pops in on recruit training to finally get that hug from Impa.

In the middle of commanding, he sneaks in behind her and wraps his arms around her for a moment before booking it out of the courtyard. Impa yells at him, but he just laughs. He meets the other Links outside the castle, all their bags packed and arms linked.

Warriors goes over to Legend’s side and joins the chain. They stand there for a moment, and then Warriors says, “Now that we know everything’s solved, will you stop hovering over me like a worried mother hen?”

  
“I was _not_ -” Legend begins to protest, but his words are lost in the streams of time as they’re whisked to their next adventure.

**Author's Note:**

> happy birfday and thank you to the faronclan discord for yelling "it's arson o' clock" when i started writing the arson on stream
> 
> also uploading this and his chapter of and then there were none on the same day is so funny to me because i gave him trauma recovery this fine day but also I Do The Publish on and then there were none so i. i'm uploading a chapter where he dies horribly anyways check it out we work real hard


End file.
